Django vs Node JS: What to learn in 2023

Django and Node JS are popular technologies for building full-stack web applications. They are also popularly used for building backends for mobile, desktops, and other applications.

If you are already familiar with the Python programming language, you should learn Django over Node JS.

On the other hand, if you are already using Javascript, you should learn Node JS over Django.

Node.js is a back-end JavaScript runtime environment that runs on the V8 JavaScript Engine. Node JS executes JavaScript code outside a web browser. It is designed to build scalable network applications.

Django on the other hand is a high-level Python web framework that follows the Model–Template–Views (MTV) architectural pattern.

Django is a very good choice for rapid development and you will be able to do a lot with just a few lines of code.

Choosing which web framework to learn can be tricky, there are many factors to consider when learning a new technology or backend framework.

Popularity, opportunities, types of projects, salaries, resources, learning curve, etc. are some of the factors that many people consider when choosing to learn a new technology or a framework.

Here are some of the considerations you should make when choosing to learn a new backend framework.

POPULARITY AND OPPORTUNITIES

If you want to learn a technology or framework solely for its popularity among developers, you should learn Node JS.

Generally, Node JS is more popular than Django. According to a Stack Overflow survey of 2022, Node Js is the most commonly used Web framework by both professionals and those learning to code. It is used by 47.12% of developers.

On the other hand, Django is the 5th most commonly used web framework, it is used by 14.65% of developers according to the same survey.

It is also worth noting that Node JS is more loved by many developers than Django.

As of 2022, Node JS is loved by 67.36% of developers versus 32.64% of developers who dreaded it. On the other hand, Django is loved by 53.10% of developers versus 46.90% of developers who dreaded it.

Ultimately, if your choice of which web framework to learn depends on popularity, you should learn Node JS.

Plus, there are more opportunities for Node JS Developers than Django developers because Node JS is used by many companies than Django.

However, because Node JS is very popular and commonly used by many companies, there is going to be more competition for Node JS opportunities than for Django opportunities.

In this regard, a Django developer may get a job easily because of less competition.

SALARIES

Another popular criterion that many people use as an incentive to learn a new web framework is salary. Salaries for developers differ from one company to the other and from one country to the other.

Experience is another factor that comes into play as far as salaries are concerned. The more experience you have with a certain technology or web framework, the more likely you are of getting a higher salary.

Generally, Node JS developers get higher salaries than Django developers. Glassdoor reported that in the United States, Node JS developers with 1 – 3 years of experience get a base salary of $77,833 per year.

On the other hand, Django developers with 1 – 3 years of experience get a base salary of $71,051, about $6,000 lower than Node JS developers.

Similarly, a Stack Overflow survey reported that Node JS developers get an average Salary of $65,000 per year while Django developers get an average of $60,000 per year.

So, if the salary is your major incentive for learning a language or framework, you should learn Node JS over Django, because you are more likely to get a higher salary as a Node JS developer than as a Django developer.

BEGINNER FRIENDLINESS

Some web frameworks can be learned more easily than others. If you want a web framework that is beginner-friendly and very easy to work with, you should learn Django.

Django is easy to learn and use even for complete beginners, its syntax is easy to read and write. Django is a batteries-included framework, meaning that it comes with a lot of features that are ready to use out of the box.

If you are already familiar with Python, it makes your work even much easier.

Contrastingly, Node JS can be difficult to work with, especially for complete beginners. However, if you are already familiar with Javascript, you can easily pick up Node JS in no time.

The good news is that there are many helpful resources for both Django and Node JS to help you learn the frameworks. The Node JS (Javascript) and Django (Python) communities are very big, active, and helpful, in case you get stuck with something.

APPLICATIONS AND FEATURES

Django comes with a lot of ready-to-use features out of the box. This means that you won’t have to spend as much time and effort setting up your development environment or installing additional libraries and dependencies.

Django was used to build the backend for the popular social media platform Instagram. Django is also used by many companies such as Mozilla, Clubhouse, Bitbucket, Disqus, Nextdoor, Pinterest, National Geographic, Open Knowledge Foundations, Knight Foundation, Spotify, Dropbox, NASA, etc.

Node JS is used to execute Javascript outside the Browser, it is a very popular choice for scalable network applications.

Node.js has an event-driven architecture capable of asynchronous I/O. This makes it a popular choice for real-time web applications.

Node JS is commonly used in the Javascript stack such as the MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node) and MEAN (MongoDB, Express, Angular, Node) Stack.

Nodejs is used by a lot of websites and mobile applications such as LinkedIn, PayPal, GoDaddy, Walmart, Rakuten, Mozilla, Uber, Microsoft, Netflix, SAP, Twitter, Groupon, Medium, IBM, eBay, Trello, Amazon Web Services, and many others.

CONCLUSION

Once you have evaluated all the factors, you can choose which web framework to learn depending on the factors that are on your side and what you want to build.

If you want a web framework that is easy to learn and rapidly build a web application, you should learn Django over Node JS.

If you want a popular web framework that can potentially fetch you a higher salary, you should learn Node JS over Django.